SAI hosts cook-off for music camp

Carl J. Bachus | culture editor

The corridors of McCray Hall filled with the smell of meat and spices during the Chili Cook-Off hosted by Sigma Alpha Iota on Monday.
The music fraternity’s members prepared a selection of homemade chili recipes and all proceeds went to the funding of SAI Music Camp.
“This is our first year that we’ve done the chili feed,” said Crystal Taylor, senior in music and communication. “We’re raising money for music camp, which is something that we’ve been doing for a while now.”
Taylor, who won the cook-off with her recipe, entitled “Stuff,” said that the children will learn music through “touch, sound, dance and origami” and at the end of the day, the kids will put on a concert for their parents.

Russell L. Jones, PSU music professor and department chair fills his bowl with chili during the Chili Cook Off Feb. 19.

“It does cost money to feed the kids, so we’re raising money to buy pizza for them,” Taylor said.
Though the chili-tasters were mostly music majors, some students from other areas of study came out in support of SAI.
“I’m really good friends with the music department,” said Myka Heffernan, sophomore in business management “I’m also a music minor so I like to spend time with the music students when I can.”
Heffernan said that being involved in music is a good way to get involved on campus and create relationships with new people.
“That’s how I met a majority of my friends, because they’re so welcoming and it’s just kind of fun to be a part of something,” Heffernan said.
Pitt State’s chapter of SAI usually gets a grant from the national chapter, but when they didn’t, the fraternity had to improvise.
“Usually, we just have bake sales. We’ve never really had to do a big fundraiser because we got the grant,” said SAI president Natalie Carroll, senior in music education. “I think since we’ve gotten the grant before, they decided to give it to another chapter.”
Music camp, which the fraternity has put on for five years, invites elementary school students from the area to learn about making music with the members of SAI. The program takes place from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday, March 2.